ripple effect
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ripple effect
First recorded in 1965–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Workday shares saw their best-ever single-day performance Thursday on the back of buyout rumors, creating a ripple effect across the entire software sector.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
That’s the kind of ripple effect that such wanton enabling can have, even if it’s not intentional.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I didn’t realize the ripple effect of something like this until it happened.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
He also notes a ripple effect to hiring new graduates who use AI: “A lot of anxiety” in midcareer workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
“I just want to complete my original mission. That ripple effect he’s so worried about”—he pointed at JB jeeringly—“pah! You won’t even feel it!”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
